The Truth About Returning Your Clothes...

I’m sure we’ve all done it- bought an online order and added in an extra top that we’re not 100% sure about or another pair of jeans in a bigger size just in case the others don’t fit. With so many retailers offering free returns these days, it’s more convenient than ever to buy more and just send the things you don’t like back, and at no extra cost to you. It seems like there is no downside to a free returns system, but like all fast fashion, there’s always a hidden problem.

Fortunately, most retailers understand the need for a paper bag or a recycled plastic one. That’s great, but the CO2 emissions from transporting these bags back and forth is not. Not only that, but the large majority of fast-fashion retailers don’t have the ability to reintroduce returns to their stock. Many warehouses lack the capacity to store and check every return, and they can’t afford to check and sort everything that is sent back. This means that stock which has nothing wrong with it is often thrown away - in fact some retailers admit to throwing away more than 25% of their returned items immediately after they arrive back at the warehouse.

I said that these retailers don’t have the ability to reintroduce returns to the main system, but that isn’t actually true. They could do it, but it would require investing time and money into a system that benefits the planet, and not the CEO’s wallet.

It’s estimated that about 25% of clothing bought online and 10% of items bought in store are returned- why do we return so many items? Well, there are plenty of reasons, from faulty products that are made quickly and cheaply, to bad fits due to the industry’s lack of inclusivity, to social media pressure. A 2018 survey found 1 in 10 Brits admitted to buying items, posting a picture wearing them to social media, and then sending them back for a full refund. Social media can drastically increase the impact of fast fashion- there’s a pressure to keep up with popular trends, to not be photographed in the same outfit twice, and to fit in with unrealistic beauty and body standards. Sadly, there is a high chance that the returned outfit is going to end up in landfill, and when so many fast fashion items are made with plastic-based fibres like polyester, this means contributing to plastic pollution and global warming.

It’s so hard to think about the big picture when we buy our clothes, how one returned item could be part of a global waste problem. When dealing with greed-driven companies, it is down to the individual consumers to make change- but if we all do it together, our positive impact can be huge! There are some practical solutions to reducing the amount of clothes we return: try things on in store and just buy the one that fits; know what your size is for each retailer you like to buy from; and only buy what you really love or need.

-Tegan